How to Speak English with Anyone | English as a Global Language

Have you ever felt afraid of what others would  think of you when speaking English in public? 

Or maybe, have you sometimes felt  self-conscious about your accent? 

Have you already spent hours browsing videos that  would teach you how to "sound like a native"? 

It's not uncommon that many English learners,  

and maybe even you, compare  themselves with other speakers,  

and from doing that, get the idea that to be  fluent, you must "sound like a native speaker". 

However, for most learners what is actually behind  this idea is the desire of speaking clearly,  

having people's respect, and feeling like they  belong, while communicating in a foreign language. 

If that's also true for you,  you should know that none of  

those things has to do with how you "sound". So if you watch until the end, you will learn:

And, if you don't want to miss out on lessons  just like this that will help you understand  

fast-speaking English, be understood  by anyone, and connect to the world,  

just hit the subscribe button down  below and join our learning community,  

just like Camari who says that our channel helped  him forget all his pains and freed him from stress  

when learning English! So join our community and  hit that subscribe button and the bell down below  

so you don’t miss any of our new lessons! Before we go over what Global English is  

and how it helps you gain the confidence you  need to interact with other people in English,  

let's play a quick game so you can  find out how much you know about it.

If you answered A you are correct!

If you answered B you are correct!

The correct answer here is C. As you can see, even though nearly  

20% of the world's population speak English, most  of the language is spoken by non-native speakers.

If you struggle to understand fast speaking  natives, then I highly recommend our RealLife  

Native Immersion Course. This 41-week course  will take you on a RealLife adventure of the  

English language, in a way that is fun, natural  and convenient! And the best part is you can  

try it right now for free with our three-part  Power Learning Series! All you have to do is  

click up here or down in the description  box below to learn more and sign up now.

For a language to achieve such global  status, it must play a significant role  

and earn a special place within the communities  in a variety of countries around the world. 

This is what happened with English that  became one of the most spoken foreign  

languages and the most commonly  studied language in the world. 

But, as we saw in the quiz, native speakers are  the minority of English speakers. For that reason,  

you're much more likely to use English to  interact with other non-native speakers! 

There's even a specific name for this. It's called  English as Lingua Franca, which is the "contact  

language" between a group of people who do not  share a common native tongue nor a common culture.

So, when you, native or not, interact with  someone whose mother tongue is not English,  

you're using English as Lingua Franca. English as Lingua Franca focuses on the  

ability of using the language to communicate and  be understood by anyone and not so much on norms  

of the language. The reason for that is that in  the real world, rules become much more flexible.

The focus shifts to the communication of  ideas. One of the most interesting aspects  

of having people from different backgrounds  using the language for communication is that  

making grammar mistakes is not a big deal. This global use means that the English  

language is alive and context-bound  that nobody owns it anymore. 

When speaking Global English, there  isn't just one or two models to follow,  

like British or American English. The reason for this is because even  

among native speakers, there isn't only  one model of English. An American, British,  

Australian, Canandian, and others, speak  different varieties of the same language. 

This means that vocabulary, pronunciation and  expressions change from one place to another. 

Sometimes what one native says is  incomprehensible even to another native,  

and it can create really fun situations. If you're interested in learning the  

contrast between American, British and Australian  English check out this lesson we've made about it.  

You can click up here or down in the  description box below to watch it next! 

This is why, You Shouldn't Worry  About British or American English 

It is true that for a very long time,  

British and American were the main  spoken models of English pronunciation. 

One of the main reasons for this is that language  is tightly connected to its users. This means that  

when they thrive on the international  stage, their language also succeeds. 

So, due to the fact that Britain (and later on  the USA) have great political and military power,  

English has become the language  of international relations,  

and the reason why the two variants became  the most prominent models of English learning. 

One of the reasons why people who opt for  learning, let's say, American or British  

English is because they will live, work or  study in one of those countries and want to  

be more familiar with local lingo, for instance. However, people have become increasingly more  

mobile, both physically and electronically,  and ultimately learn English to communicate  

and express their culture with other English  speakers, whether they are natives or not. 

As non-native English speakers now  outnumber native English speakers,  

there has been an increasing number  of English as Lingua Franca users.

They are fully competent speakers  of English and use the language in a  

fluent and easily comprehensible way that  does not privilege any "native" variety. 

That's the great thing about Global English!  It highlights that there isn't just one way of  

speaking the language. The vocabulary  you'll need is going to be defined in  

every single conversation and interaction. It makes communication much easier because we  

already know how to adapt the language we use  to a specific situation in our mother tongue. 

Think about it, the language you use at home  with your grandma is not the same you use when  

hanging out with friends, which is probably  also very different from the one you use to  

present a project at work or school. Becoming aware of that, it's a key  

factor to start Living Your English  and Speaking Confidently With Anyone. 

Having a global approach to the language  doesn't mean that you don't need to learn  

the structure of the language, its rules  and achieve a certain level of proficiency.  

Having a strong foundation of the language  will help you become a better communicator. 

But, you shouldn't focus so much on speaking  like natives. It becomes more about the clarity  

and simplicity of communication, not  using flowery words or faking an accent  

that will only make you sound unnatural. I cannot stress enough how trying to sound  

like a native is a trap. Although after  extensive exposure and practice you may  

get closer to sounding native-like,  trying to pursue only that while  

learning the language will lead to frustration. You can’t become a native speaker of an additional  

language. English will always be your additional  language, so your accent, the way you talk,  

the words you choose are part of your identity.  Even the one you have in your first language. 

English is what is going to connect you with  anyone in the world, and speaking it is about  

celebrating your voice, learning about the world  around you, and not about sounding like X or Y. 

Now, let’s look at some tips to  put Global English into practice.

The longer you have contact with different  accents, the easier you'll understand them.

Instead of pursuing accent reduction,  understand which aspects of your accent  

compromise intelligibility. Work  on making yourself intelligible. 

Don't limit yourself to listening to just natives.  Expose yourself to various types of English:  

watch TV, listen to podcasts,  from various regions and accents. 

If you are a native English speaker (or  

close friends with one), remember they  should also accommodate their language  

to the needs of the speakers in the room.  Mutual understanding is a two-way street.

Help other people learn. Tutor a  friend, teach your local community.  

The more in touch with the language you are,  the more familiar you become with its nuances. 

Do not apologize for speaking an additional  language. If you can communicate clearly and  

be understood, there's no such thing as  bad English. If that’s a way you refer  

to your English and want to start speaking more  confidently, then I highly recommend you check  

out this lesson that Ethan made by clicking up  here or down in the description to watch it next!

In this video we discussed the role of Global  English, the use of English as Lingua Franca  

and how it helps you communicate with others. Global English will enhance your listening skills,  

broaden your view of the diverse  world we live in, and empower you. 

I truly hope it helped to boost your confidence  to better communicate in this foreign language. 

Now that you've watched it, take a moment  to note down some interesting vocabulary  

that popped up during this video and promise me  that you will celebrate speaking YOUR English.